Читать книгу Anxiety Toolbox: The Complete Fear-Free Plan - Gloria Thomas - Страница 62

The sympathetic changes that take place in response to stimulus are referred to as the stress response. This response was discovered by Canadian endocrinologist Hans Seyle, who demonstrated that the body reacts in the same way to a challenging situation irrespective of whether it is a loud bang, a charging bull, or an extremely pressing deadline.

Selye suggested that there are three phases to the stress response. The first stage is the alarm reaction – your reaction to a given challenge or threat. In response to a stressful event, the pituitary signals the adrenal glands – a small pair of glands that sit at the top of your kidneys – to release the stress hormones adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline and noradrenaline prepare the body to deal with certain conditions and are excreted in times of fear, danger or sexual excitement.